The BBC is launching an online Doctor Who-themed video game designed to introduce children to basic computer programming skills

The Doctor and the Dalek is a traditional platformer where you play as a Dalek.

The action starts with the Doctor receiving a distress call from a Dalek who has been captured by Cybermen.

The Doctor rescues this unlikely ally and then takes it on a mission to save the universe.

However, the Dalek starts with only a few basic functions and you need to complete a range of puzzles in order to ‘power up’ or ‘pimp’ your Dalek so that it can progress through the game.

The puzzles are where coding skills are smuggled into the game. They've been designed to specifically link to the new school computing curriculum without feeling like a boring lesson.

“Our main aim was to build a great game that would teach kids basic principles of coding by stealth. We want them to feel entertained rather than taught,” Jo Pearce, creative director of the Doctor Who Interactive, told Mirror Tech.

“We want to break the myth that coding is complicated and horrible.”

For example, one level asks you to navigate the Dalek through a specific path using a sequence of moves and variables while avoiding the evil Cybermats. You have to plan your route in advance with a series of commands like "move forward 3 steps", "turn right" and "wait 2 seconds".

One of the puzzles in the game

The reward for getting to the end of the route is a new power: your Dalek can now hover on command.

There are eight of these puzzles, each teaching different aspects of programming.

The game was commissioned by BBC Learning and developed by Somethin’ Else. It's part of the BBC's mission to inspire a younger generation to learn how to code.

It’s voiced by the current Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and has been developed closely with the team behind the TV show.

"There’s a massive skill gap with people leaving university. So just like we did with the BBC Micro in the 1980s, we are looking to see how we can inspire children and young adults to be creative with this sort of technology,” said Pearce.

We've played around with the game and it feels like a really lovely way to introduce a child - or adult - to the basic principles of coding.

The game will be available to play for free on the CBBC site from Wednesday 22 October.